Author's Note
Despite my hope to get chapters out a little quicker, life happened, and this chapter's been sitting, not quite completed, for a while. It's a little shorter than I'd prefer (sorry about that), but hey, it's here now, and the story's not being dropped. Chapter 5's in the works, but it's a good bit larger and might take a while to do, and I'm going to be occupied with exams for a while, but it will be completed.
So, apologies. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and come check out the Discord.
Chapter 4-Novyy dom, Locostral
"So, first thing we're going to do is get your medical done. I've already called over Brian Daniels, he'll take you over to the hospital and get that done. Just wait over on that bench over there, if you don't mind," Marty said.
"Alright, got it," I replied.
Sitting on the bench, I decided to just look around. Off to the left, I could see some sort of green dragon flying towards a mountain, and off to my right, walking by, were more fictional characters, acting as though everything were normal.
"Marty, my friend, are they all like me? Dead, and brought back wherever this is?" I asked.
"Yup. We're called Plainswalkers, you know, walking the Plains of reality and such," Marty said, sounding like he'd said it many more times than he wanted to.
"And you're an Elder of this place?"
"That I am. Pleased to meet you. Ah, there's Doc. He'll get you to the hospital and the health checks and such," Marty informed me.
"Good day, new guy, I'm Brian Daniels and I'll be your medical examiner today. Now, the hospital is just over there, that big, well, hospital shaped building," said the rather friendly-looking face of someone who appeared to have been put in the body of Doc.
"Alright, let's get going," I responded
As we started walking, I decided to ask him some questions about myself.
"So, Doctor, who am I supposed to be? And your name is Brian, correct?"
"I'm not sure. You've got GRU markings, that's for sure, but I can't tell who your 'form' is. There is a mirror back at the hospital, though. Most Plainswalkers do end up as someone they recognize, so you should be able to identify yourself. And yes, I'm Brian. Brian Daniels," Brian told me.
As he told me, we arrived at the hospital. As I walked in, someone in a form I didn't recognize in a lab coat took my bag.
"We've already got you booked, so you just need to follow me. We're just going to go to the examination room, down the hall to the right, in the humanoid section," Brian said.
The hospital itself was exceedingly modern looking, clean and sterile-looking. The design, however, was comfortable-enough looking, with fewer of the sharp edges and unnecessarily empty space that made such buildings at home so depressing. In an effort to be more welcoming, there were posters under glass everywhere, brightening things up.
The examination room had a solid door, soundproofed for privacy, and a floor-to-ceiling mirror on the wall on the right, beside the reclining exam room chair, currently set in the upward position. Looking into the mirror, I caught my breath.
"I think I recognize myself. Have you ever played the Battlefield games?" I asked.
"Yes, and… Oh! That's it, the Russian you play as, what's his name…" Brian realised.
"Dimitri Mayakovsky, or Dima. Fitting, right, Sobrat?"
"Ah, you're Russian. Thankfully for you, you don't have too much of an accent with that form. Took me years to get over Doc's French accent," Brian laughed. "Anyway, the exam isn't too long, basic physical and some medical testing. Gotta make sure this is the pre-nuke form, not the post-nuke."
"Yes, that'd be preferable, thanks," I joked.
The exam itself wasn't too intensive, some basic reflexes testing, blood sample, and a few scans I had absolutely no knowledge of. The training of a combat medic isn't too extensive. Though, hell, with the tech here, who knows. I may have had no way of knowing what they were anyway.
"Well, that's most of it. I just have some details to enter, and we'll be done," he told me, sitting in a chair behind a rather nice wooden desk, and logged into a computer I'd never seen before.
"Do you have any special skills or training, beyond that of a regular person?"
Thinking about it, there were only a few that came to mind.
"Well, I served in the Russian Army in Syria, around Khmeimim airbase. Trained as a combat medic, so I have basic medical knowledge, and trained on some weapons," I told him.
"Oh, really? I should explain to you, here, we have 'Clans,' typically based around similarity in forms and experience. I'm in the Locostral Trauma Response clan, one based around support and stability. Essentially, in the event of a Shadow attack, which someone will explain to you soon, or other disasters, we'll call you in to help. Otherwise, you'll get your own place at our clan building, a tower out behind the building here. Given your skillset, can I convince you to join us?" he asked.
I considered it. There weren't really any downsides, and I would need to join one anyway. Additionally, I would be able to use my skills in a helpful capacity. Given that I was unlikely to find a better-suiting clan, why not?
"Why not, sure. By the way, how does it pay?" I asked.
"Oh, don't worry about that. We're abundant enough and small enough, you can just request what you need at one of the shops," he responded.
"My baba would be proud. Alright, are we nearly done here?"
"Oh right, yes, I've got all your information logged. Welcome to the LTR. Let's get you your stuff, and I'll call Jeanne. She'll get you sorted out."
Heading out to the lobby and recovering my kit, we went out back to meet with Jeanne. Waiting for her, I spend some time reflecting on this nearly unbelievable situation. I like the sound of the LTR. If they're actually dedicated to helping people, that's certainly a good thing, and I hope I can help them with such a noble goal. I can only hope it's better run than the UN.
Regardless, it can't possibly be worse than Syria.